


Bumps

by TheMusicalCC



Series: Good Ending AU [3]
Category: The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comfort, Domestic, F/M, Fix-it fic, Fluff, Mild Angst, One Shot, Pregnancy, Self-Doubt, kiiiinda, this one is also self-servicing AF but whatevs dude my life sucks let me have this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 14:26:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14936024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMusicalCC/pseuds/TheMusicalCC
Summary: Seeing someone you care about study so hard it's affecting their health already sucks. But, as Egon would testify, it's worse when said someone is your pregnant wife. Good Ending AU.





	Bumps

It takes him a while to register that the front desk phone is ringing. Egon eyes the half-finished code, indecisive. 

"Slimer?" He calls out. The ghost has taken a liking to spending most it's time in the basement levels, but it wasn't uncommon for him to be floating around Peter's old office.

" _Yweah_?" The ghost's voice is somewhere near the stairs. Perfect. 

"Can you get that?" 

An affirmative string of babbles is his reply and soon after he can hear the ghost answer in his best public relations voice. Egon chuckles fondly, typing at a dizzying speed. He has to finish this code as soon as possible to start making dinner and he's pretty sure they're all out of the Pringles Janine has been craving non-stop for the past weeks, so rushing to the store for a can or two wouldn't hurt either, all he has to do is finish- 

" _We_ _egon_!  _Weegon_!" Slimer tries to come through the floor only to find the phone won't come with him, hand stuck on the ceiling of the room downstairs. Egon finds himself hoping the string will hold, although said though is pushed immediately to the back of his mind as he realizes Slimer is frantic and worried. His stomach seems to shrink. 

"What is it?" 

* * *

 Janine is silent for most of the drive back home, mostly because she seems too busy taking deep breaths. Random bouts of car sickness are among the list of her symptoms and even with the window rolled down as far as it can go, she sounds like she can't get enough air; she tugs at the safety belt tentatively, as though weighting whether to unclasp it or not. It's been tighter than she'd otherwise like since around the fourteenth or fifteenth week and now, seven weeks later and with a much more noticeable belly, it's just uncomfortable. She still decides against it, probably realizing it's too imprudent, and instead massages her forehead, near where the pale bandage covers the bump she got that afternoon. 

Egon, despite being full to the brim with things to say, is silent too. He's used to reacting to panic by forcing his brain to work twice as fast and figure out a plan, and, save some exceptions, it always works. Today hadn't been one of those exceptions, he'd put together his course of action in a minute just as Slimer tried (Key word being 'Tried') to explain what exactly 'Janine hurt' meant. Saved his programming progress, grabbed the car keys and rushed to Ecto-1, driven with the siren on and calculated the quickest route to the hospital, should the worst-case scenario be present. A classmate of Janine's who he only knew because of some homework they'd had to do at the firehouse had been waiting for him at the History building and quickly assured him that Janine was fine, something he didn't really believe until he'd been able to see her lying on an infirmary cot looking more impatient than anything. Now, on the pause given by a red light, finally his adrenaline is settling and his ears slowly filling with a strange buzzing sound and his hands shaking over the wheel and-. 

"You promised not to push yourself too hard"  

It takes him a moment to realize it was him that spoke because his voice sounds so like his father that for a minute he's half-convinced Dr. Spengler senior spoke from beyond the grave. 

"M' not" Janine sighs as she rubs her eyelids "You heard the nurse- and the doctor said so too. Dizziness is normal" 

"You blacked out and hit your head on a  _desk_ " his mind is wandering as he speaks. Why does he sound so much like his father, genetics aside? It's the tone, he realizes, that flat and utterly controlled tone as though expressing emotion were to somehow make his point less valid. He hates it. He hates that it's still his default voice when he's too upset.

"I'm fine" she mumbles, probably knowing she can't really say anything that doesn't make him want to drive her to the nearest ER right now, despite the assurance on part of the University infirmary staff that it wasn't necessary. He'd only agreed not to because Janine has her Gyn Ob appointment in the morning either way... despite the nagging feeling in the back of his head that tomorrow might already be too late. This thought makes him launch into attack again. 

"Are you absolutely sure that you didn't hurt yourself anywhere else?" 

"Yes, I'm sure. Look, I tried to stand up too fast, Egon, that's all" Janine's tone is resigned and tired and she rubs her belly soothingly as she speaks "I'm pretty big at this point, if you haven't noticed, so the people at the library got too worked up the minute I got dizzy-" 

He slaps the wheel in frustration. 

"You  _blacked_ _out_!!" He hisses and feels her tense next to him. 

" _Don't yell at me_ " her voice is watery. Oh, nuts. 

"I- I apologize, I just..." A horn behind them tells him the light's changed, so he can't continue right away and he hears her curse under her breath and search among her stuff, sniffling as he continues driving. Now he's made her cry. The wave of self-reproach that washes over him at it is anguishing. Stupid, stupid, stupid! The oppression within his chest at this thought almost doesn't let him think of anything else until they reach the next traffic light and it turns out to be a red too.  

"I didn't do it on purpose" Janine mumbles into the kleenex she's finally managed to fish from among her belongings, blowing her nose.  

"I know that. I'm sorry" Egon says, turning to her. He doesn't care that he sounds almost pathetic at this point. He reaches for her hand, half expecting her to recoil, but she doesn't. He doesn't even care that a very slimy-feeling kleenex is in the same hand he's holding "I'm sorry I yelled. I'm sorry. Please forgive me" 

She wipes her cheek with her free hand, still sniffling. 

"Green light" she mumbles. He keeps his hand on hers but the eyes on the road as he drives. She sniffles every now and then but doesn't speak again until they come to a halt a couple of streets later. Typical New York traffic. He peeks at the front a bit and is almost surprised to see the sun has set. He never did get started on dinner, come to think of it. 

"Do you want takeout?" He turns to her briefly and she shakes her head, eyes lowered "I- there's no food at home" 

"Let's do sandwiches" she mutters "I just want to lie down, I have a headache" 

Alarms go off in his head immediately. 

"How intense is it? Should we-?" 

"It's just a normal 'I hit my head 'cause I'm an idiot' kinda headache, Egon" she says, trying to sound snappy, but instead sounding apologetic. He squeezes her hand. 

"You're not an idiot" 

"I got sleepy and instead of taking a break I decided to keep going" she sounds like she might start crying again. At this point, if he could kill her a squirrel to get her to cheer up, he would, without question, but he has to content with squeezing her hand and trying to find something to say. The car in front of him advances for a couple of yards and he coaxes Ecto-1 behind it, minding the distance almost to the millimeter. Ray and Peter used to make fun of him for being so meticulous about that kind of thing, but if he thought to do otherwise was running an absurd risk back when it was four guys and a spud in the old Cadillac, he sure as hell isn't changing his mind now that it's him and his pregnant wife instead. Janine touches the bandage over her forehead "What if it affected the baby?" 

"The bump on your head?" He asks. He really hasn't heard of any cases where a slight bump on the mother's head affected the product, but for a moment there he gets very paranoid about it "I don't think that's... I mean, only if you hit anywhere else. Are you sure...?" 

"I'm sure" despite her words, she hesitates and he all but breaks in cold sweat "I mean, I think so. I'm not hurting anywhere except the head, I'm not bleeding either" 

"Then everything's most likely fine" he's saying it for himself and for her "I'd still like you to lie down when we get home, I'll get you ice for your forehead. And I can call Peter and ask what we can give you for the headache" 

"Sounds good" he spies her through the corner of his eyes and the exhaustion in her features is like a punch to the gut for him. He's stuck between feeling sympathetic and frustrated for it. 

"Janine... I know that what you're doing is important and- believe me, I'd be the last person to say otherwise, but I feel like I might have to remind you that your health is important as well, particularly right now" 

"I know" 

"I'm aware that you aren't going to do anything that could risk our child but I can't help but feel anxious seeing you like this" 

"I know" 

"And- you're very strong, but even you have your limits" 

"I know" 

"You're just humoring me right now, aren't you?" he half- laughs. 

"No, I..." she sighs and sinks her face in the palm of her free hand for a moment "I really do know all of this, but..." 

"What?" 

"I want the baby to be proud of me" 

He contemplates this reply in silence for a good while, trying to make sense of it, until he has to admit defeat. 

"I'm afraid I don't follow" 

"Traffic's moving" 

He's already advancing again when he spots a gas station nearby. The tank is little under halfway full. 

"We're out of Pringles" he drops as casually as he can. Now  _that_  makes her tense up dramatically "I see a gas station ahead, how about we stop for some gas and get you some?" 

She ponders it for a moment. 

"And an ICEE" she adds. 

"And an ICEE" he nods.  

* * *

 Thankfully, it seems like Peter discreetly added acetaminophen to the firehouse's first-aid-kit on one of his visits and it's what he recommends over the phone, once Egon and Janine have made it home and he leaves her to lie down on the first-floor sofa, extenuated by the stairs- he's seriously considering calling Ray over to install an elevator at this point, if only because he hates to see her struggle like this and is aware that at some point he might not be available to help her.  

"I'm sure by now you know this, big guy, but even flat-out passing out isn't that uncommon in pregnancy" Peter says, acting like he isn't on a five-minute break from his job as a radio-host and should probably go back to drinking his coffee as soon as possible "She probably just needs to lay down more often" 

"I concur" Egon watches Slimer bring Janine a bag of frozen peas he can put over her forehead, land a sticky kiss over her cheek and then float away, and she lies down on the sofa with the bag firmly held against the swollen and reddish bump. 

"That said, maybe you should start early on the baby-proofing. Just to be on the safe side" 

"I will admit to being tempted" 

"How's she holding up, aside from that?" 

"I thought cravings were supposed to decrease at this point but they show no sign of it" 

Janine playfully throws him a cushion and mouths ' _Jerk_ '. 

"So, clearly the kid's got your appetite" Peter's smirk is clear in his voice, Egon can't help but smile as well. 

"It would seem so" 

"Well, let me know about any other developments. Tell Janine she has to rest and take care of herself. Dr. V's orders" 

"Will do-" 

"Egon!" Janine gasps, all but making him start. His brain kicks into panic mode again immediately. 

"Peter, I have to go now" he rushes out, drowning Peter's protests as he hangs the phone and turns to Janine, who has a hand over her stomach and has laid the pea-bag aside "Where does it hurt?" 

"No, it's-!" Something's not right. Wait. Rewind. She's smiling. Why is she smiling? "The baby's moving" 

He can all but feel himself relax at this the way a deflating balloon would. 

"Really?" She coaxes him close to her belly and he lays his ear over it, a bit disappointed when he can't hear or feel anything except... well, what he would probably hear if he put his ear to anyone else's stomach "What- what does it feel like?" 

"Like tapping. Real quick" 

"Has it happened before?" 

"A couple of times, mostly at night" she pauses, seeming embarrassed "I hadn't told you because I wasn't sure" 

"That's OK, I don't think I could feel it yet, either way" 

"You'll see them tomorrow" she reassures him, putting a hand over his head. He kisses the fabric over the bump. The ultra-sound scheduled for the following morning is supposed to tell them whether they're expecting a girl or a boy too, and he can hardly wait. 

"Tomorrow, then" he rubs a circle onto it one last time and gets to his feet and marches towards the kitchen "Now, about those sandwiches..." 

"Egon?" 

"Hm?" 

"Were you ever embarrassed about your mother not being a scientist?" 

He freezes mid-stride and turns to her slowly. Her voice had been full of anxiousness, and so was her face.  

"I'd... I'd never thought about it, if I'm honest" he says. It's the truth. In retrospective, the fact that his mother wasn't like his father or any of the family members on that side of the family had been a relief to him all of his life, particularly during his childhood.  

"Huh" Janine sounds relieved "That's a no, I guess" 

Just like that, it clicks. He could kick himself for not understanding earlier. He returns to the sofa and nudges her feet aside a bit so he can sit. 

"There are many reasons for a child to feel pride on their parents that don't stem from the academics" 

"Yeah, but not every kid has a world-famous scientist who's saved the world a bunch of times for a dad" she sounds a bit bitter, but he knows her enough to tell it's not against him. He leans closer to her. 

"I, for one, am proud of you" she eyes him. 

"Is it one of those things you tell me just 'cause I'm pregnant and cry easily? Like when you say I still look good?" 

"No!" He's indignant both that she thinks he's lying right now and he's lying when he tells her he finds her charming still. There Is just something indescribably warm and home-like in the sight of her these days... then again, it has been the case for a while now, it just seems to have intensified since she started showing "I am. You always work hard in everything you do, and you never give up, and you're always looking out for everyone else, even if they really don't deserve it" he feels himself turning pink with what he's about to say, but he says it anyway "Y-you have a beautiful heart. We could do with more of those in this world. And I think-" he clears his throat "I think that's reason enough for our child to be proud of you always, if there weren't plenty more" 

"OK, OK, knock it off or I'm going to cry again!" Despite her words, she sounds like she's crying already. He knows this is probably not a bad-cry, but he still feels uneasiness nibble at his stomach and finds himself rubbing her feet for comfort. She wipes her eyes, and takes a couple of deep breaths "Thank you" 

"I mean it" 

"I know" 

"Does this mean you're going to be kinder to yourself?" he asks as he gets to his feet.

"Yeah" she sniffles "Yeah" 

He lowers his face near hers for a quick peck on the corner of her mouth. 

"I'll get you that sandwich" 

**Author's Note:**

> That pain in your mouth? Cavities. Now we match. You're welcome.


End file.
